Functional testing allows testing mobile apps by interacting with the user interface in a live manner similarly to how a human user would. It involves arranging test data, acting by programmatically interacting with UI elements, and asserting expected results. With Xamarin.UI.Test, functional tests for Xamarin apps can be written in C# to click buttons, enter text, and verify outcomes by querying the app user interface. While it provides a way to test apps across platforms, there are some limitations such as only running iOS tests on a Mac and no support for Universal Windows Platform apps.

1. Make Your Mobile Apps
Strong With Functional Testing
Adam Hill
Sr. Mobile Developer
MV Transportation
adam.hill@gmail.com
@adamhill

2. We all know about testing
• Unit testing (testing we should be doing)
• Integration testing (the testing that is harder to do)
• What's functional testing?

3. (In my mind) Functional
testing is:
• Testing an app "live"
• Possibly real data / possibly mock data
• Almost always involves some kind of UI automation
• Easy to connect to acceptance tests / traditional
human QA testing

4. Functional Testing Elsewhere
• Desktop Apps
• MS Test Recorder (in VS Enterprise)
• Web
• Selenium
• Canopy (local devs! - @amirajan & @lefthandedgoat)
• Protractor

5. Xamarin.UI.Test
• Lets you write tests in C#
• Uses Unit 2.6.2
• Xamarin Test Runner
• Can run in simulator or on physical devices.
• Limitations
• No NUnit 3.0.
• Only run iOS tests on iOS on Mac
• No support for UWP.

6. Testing Details
• Classical steps
• ARRANGE - Setup fake data, mocks, etc.
• ACT - Perform the test.
• ASSERT - See if you got the expected results.
• The catch is you are testing via poking the UI
programmatically.
• Still code, but with complications.

7. Complications
• You must name the controls you wish to test against and
assert, then access events & properties
• OR
• You must find the control / contents via LINQ like queries.
• The first one is easier but problematic for controls that
have lists of things (ListView, Picker). You have to find by
text or ordinal (1st, 2nd or Nth in the list)
• UI’s change frequently, even after deployment.

8. Naming Controls
• AutomationId
• <Button AutomationId="PressMe"/>
• Refer to this name in your tests

9. App
• You may query by text or AutomationID
• Most methods are in the App. namespace
• app.WaitForElement(c =>c.Class(“UINavigationBar”).
Marked("Simple Credit Card Validator"))
• app.EnterText(c =>c.Class("UITextField"), new string('9', 15))
• app.Tap(c =>c.Marked("ValidateButton”))

10. (demo)

11. Advanced Things
• Grouping tests [Category(“Foo”)]
• Backdoors - Device Native methods you can call from tests
[Export(“MyNativeBackdoor”])
• Gestures - Simulates Pinch, DoubleTap, DragToCoordinates, Swipe L/R
• REPL - Terminal to let you explore the app.
• Native Views ?
• <ios:UIButton />
• <android:Button/>
•

12. Any Questions
Thanks!